The Amazonas Park is a private zoo in the north east of the island of Crete.
The focus of the zoo is on animals from South America, especially parrots and
monkeys. There are also some domestic animals like donkeys and goats.

The Amazonas Park was opened in 2011. Since then, he has been
enjoying increasing popularity. During the season several hundred visitors
arrive daily at the animal park. Also some companies offering day trips by bus
have included the largest zoo in Crete in their program. The parking lot
opposite the entrance is often filled in summer. The zoo is near the small town
of Neapoli, major tourist resorts like Chersonissos,
Malia and Agios Nikolaos are all less
than 30 kilometers away.

What to see in the Amazonas Park?

In many aviaries (large bird enclosures) you can see parrots from Latin America
and cockatoos from Australia. One aviary in the Amazonas Park is particularly
big, here
are the
larger parrot species.

In several parts of the zoo are monkeys, most from Latin America and
Madagascar. Probably the largest attraction in the Amazonas Park is a very large
enclosure with
monkeys and goats. Visitors of the zoo can walk in. One monkey species are the well-known monkeys from Gibraltar (barbary
apes). They behave relatively quietly.
The other smaller monkeys are very active. They jump on the shoulders
of the visitors. If another person is nearby, they jump from person to person.
They are fed by a nice and informative animal keeper with banana.

Especially kids love the donkeys in the Amazonas Zoo. Also the plants in
the Amazonas Park, like
palm trees and flowers, are beautiful and interesting.

What is the purpose of the Amazonas
Park?

The main function is the rearing and reproduction of rare species
(especially parrots), which are threatened with extinction. For many of these
birds the warm climate in Crete is ideal. In addition, most parrots live in
South America in the mountains. The Amazonas Park on the island Crete is 500 meters above the
sea.

Many parrots in the zoo come from an animal park in Switzerland. The climate in
the south of Greece is much better for birds from the tropics than in Central
Europe. Some rare parrots have already been released in their homelands after their reproduction in
the Amazonas Park on Crete. The large breeding station of the
birds in the Amazon Park can not be entered by the visitors of the zoo, for obvious reasons.

Is the visit worthwhile?

We think, despite the up to 10 Euro entrance (see below), yes. It is the only zoo
in Crete. The Amazonas Park is very clean and well-kept. The
staff is very nice and answers any question. The owner, a young man
from Luxembourg with Portuguese descent, has built the Amazonas Park without any
help from the government of Greece. He wants to save species from South America
on Crete from extinction.

Prices Amazonas Park Crete

Adults pay 10 Euro entrance fee. The entry price for children under 18 years is
8 euros, children under 3 years do not need to pay admission charge to the
animal park.
There is a special price for groups. All prices are from May 2017.

You have to take into account that the zoo does not receive
financial support from the Greek government or the municipality of Neapoli. The
animal park was financed and built with great love and commitment by private
persons. Almost all money comes from the entrance fees. In addition, the
conservation program of the Amazon Park is a supportive project.

Opening hours Amazonas Park Neapoli (Crete)

The zoo in Crete is open in the saison 2017 from 9:30 am to 6 pm. The
opening times are the same at the weekend. In winter, the Amazonas Park
is closed for visitors (about from early November to late March).

How to get to Amazonas Park Crete

By car: Take the Neapoli exit on the
Heraklion - Chersonissos -
Malia - Agios Nikolaos expressway.
Do not enter the small town of Neapoli. Take the
other way up the hill towards Kourounes (a small village). After about 3
kilometers you reach the zoo. It is relatively easy to find the zoo, since the
Amazon Park is well signposted at every important junction in the area (also at the
exit of the expressway).

By bus: Unfortunately, there is no public transport near the
Amazonas Park. You
can take a bus to Neapoli from Heraklion or Agios Nikolaos. The last 4 kilometers
you can take a taxi or walk (quite steeply uphill)

With a tour: From the large tourist resorts on Crete there are more and more
bus tours to the Amazonas Park in Kourounes near Neapoli. You can
ask in one of the many small travel agencies on Crete.

The author: My name is Jorgy. I am German
and I have been
living in Crete for more than 10 years. I translated this article from German into English. I
am not a native English speaker. When I will find a proofreader, the quality of the article will improve. If
you know somebody who wants to help me, please write me an email:
info@kreta-reise.info